Taste Test: Brand Name vs. Generic

 On Saturday I hosted a taste test.  I was very curious if people in general really preferred the brand name over generic.  I had 9 participants, mostly adults and was mixed male and female.

I was so excited for this experiment, that I was a bit of an over achiever.  I wanted to try so many different kinds of foods...that I purchased too many to try.  My tasters had about 37 items to try (times two, one Brand one Generic).

I started off with appetizers:

Salsa:   6 out of 7 preferred the Tostitos over ShopRite brand

Potato Chips:  7 preferred the lays over the ShopRite brand

Pretzels:  5 people preferred the ShopRite brand pretzels and 2 preferred the Rold Gold pretzels 

Sour Cream (light):  3 peopled prefered the ShopRite brand and 2 preferred the Breakstone 

Olives: a tie, 1 to 1 for the olives

Peanuts:  3 people preferred the Planters and 2 people preferred the ShopRite.

The total cost savings for the 'appetizer' category (if someone preferred all generic) would have been $3.40

Next up was "breakfast" foods. 

Cream Cheese: 2 people preferred the Philadelphia over the ShopRite

French Toast Sticks: a tie 3 each for Aunt Jemima and Stop & Shop

Apple Sauce: a tie 2 each for Mott's and ShopRite

Cream of Wheat: a tie 1 each for Cream of Wheat and Ralson

Rice Krispies: a tie 2 each for Kelloggs and ShopRite

Pop Tarts: 4 people preferred the Kelloggs and 1 person preferred the ShopRite brand.

Yogurt (Vanilla): 2 people preferred the Dannon light & fit over the Stop & Shop brand

Apple Juice: 4 people preferred the ShopRite juice over Mott's

Nutrigran Bar: 2 people prefered the Nutrigrain bar and 1 person preferred the generic version

Syrup: 5 people preferred Aunt Jemima and 1 person preferred the ShopRite

The cost savings choosing all generic for breakfast would have been $12.57

Up next was lunch/dinner foods:
Saltine: tie 2-2 Premium and ShopRite
Sliced Cheese: 3 people preferred the Kraft over America's Choice
Mashed Potatoes: 2 people preferred Hungry Jack over ShopRite
Pasta: 3 people preferred Ronzoni over America's Choice
Frozen Pizza: 3 people preferred Ellios and 1 person preferred America's Choice
Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce: 3 people preferred the Stop & Shop over Classico. 
Mac & Cheese: 4 people preferred the Kraft over the America's Choice
Block Cheddar: tie 2-2 Cracker Barrell and America's Choice
Creamy Peanut Butter: 3 people preferred Jiffy and 1 person preferred the ShopRite
Total savings if preferred all Generic $8.41

Dessert items included:
Raspberry Jell-O:  1-1 tie Jell-O and America's Choice.  Everyone else said they tasted way too similar to tell the difference
Chocolate Ice Cream:  3 people preferred Edy's ice cream over America's Choice
Frosting: 2 people preferred Pillsbury and 1 person preferred ShopRite
Whipped Cream: tie 1-1 RediWhip and Shop & Shop
Yellow Cake: tie 2-2 Pillsbury and America's Choice
Homemade chocolate chip cookies (chips): 2 people preferred the Stop & Shop morsels in the cookie over the Nestle
Total Savings if preferred all generic:  $1.09

And we also did:
Pepsi v Coke:  3 people preferred Coke, 1 person preferred the Pepsi...and were very surprised with the result.
Water:  Evian, Poland Spring, Tap, Brita and America's Choice.   Most people were able to identify the tap water.  Although no one wrote down which water they preferred.  Some confused Evian with the Brita water.

Note that the cost savings was based on the prices from last weeks shopping...and does vary if you get some items on sale or where you shop.

Also please note that my testees did not follow complete directions and write down for each item (not including items they normally don't like, I wouldn't be that mean) which one they preferred.  It might have been because it didn't matter, couldn't tell the difference, or that they just forgot.

They all were curious not only which one they might have liked better - but discussed based on color, size, and taste which they thought was the brand item.  For the most part, they only averaged getting about 10 out of the 30+ items correct...but then again, they did not answer for every item.

The tasting was a lot of fun.  However, I totally over did it, there was too many last minute items that needed to be prepared.  The tasting was about 2 and a half hours. Additionally the variety of items for tasting was too varied, and one participant stopped half way through because she was going to be sick.  :(  My intention was not to make anyone sick.

If you are going to do a blind taste test, I suggest you do it in segments.  Stick to similar foods in one day/night, like all breakfast foods. 

The next tasting we will be doing is a local pizza place - since my sister's family is all in disagreement which pizza place they prefer.